Just An Ordinary Day | Joseph
by Daniel Burton
It was just an ordinary day for Joseph.
Jospeh led a good but uneventful life. During that time, he found himself betrothed to a wonderful woman. They obediently followed God, refusing to give in to their desires by consummating their relationship before the wedding night. Then, Mary gave him the news that would shatter his heart; “I’m pregnant.” Joseph, being a man of integrity, knew the child could not be his. Yet, he understood the implications and consequences of what would happen to Mary if they divorced because of her “infidelity.” From Joseph’s perspective, He had full right to drag her before the temple and have her stone. Yet, while a man of righteous faith, Joseph also sought to be a man of love and great grace, choosing instead to spare her by divorcing her quietly. On this night, on just an ordinary day, Joseph’s life would change forever.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Faith In The Face of Doubt
Joseph had every reason to doubt the story Mary told Him. After all, Joseph found himself in the middle of an improbable situation. Had it not been for the intervention of the angel, the story of Mary would have ended very differently. His initial plan, even though it displayed kindness to Mary, would still leave him in a failed marriage. Yet, from a dream, Joseph obeyed the Lord and protected Mary as a husband would without consummating their love. For Joseph, none of this story made sense to a rational mind. The only options available to Him were that Mary was indeed pregnant by the Holy Spirit or that she committed marital infidelity. Furthermore, the only indication he had verifying the first came from a dream. Joseph had every reason to doubt his situation and faced the decision whether or not to believe his doubt or rest in his faith.
All too often we are chastised for our doubts, thinking that no good Christian go through periods of doubting. Yet, ever seasoned Christian can pinpoint a time they doubted God, whether it be His presence or His existence. Doubt is the playground of faith. Doubt presents the opportunities to trust the Lord despite the circumstances we face and believes in an all powerful God that does the extraordinary out of the most ordinary days. In an ordinary day, we display our faith through our actions, allowing the glory of God to reveal itself through our obedience.
Love in Impossible Situations
Joseph, then, was presented with an impossible situation. Society would view his wife as unfaithful and Joseph as a chump. The doubts Joseph struggled with would have been open criticism against Joseph and Mary that the public would not need to struggle with. After all, there is no struggle if they can rush to judgment without even hearing from Mary and Joseph. Even IF they had asked, they would needed to work through the same doubts as Mary and Joseph. Joseph remained faithful, not only to Mary, but to God in the face of an impossible situation with none of the answers. Joseph could have divorced Mary and moved on at any point, caving in to his doubt, but instead remained steadfast in his love for God and his love for Mary.
Trusting God’s plan requires a great deal of many things and will be difficult to follow. When we follow the God of love into the impossible situations, we build our actions on the foundation of love that comes first and foremost from God. Following God will always require us to act lovingly towards one another and steadfastness in doing what God calls us all to do. This doesn’t permit a person to to continue in their sin but handles them with grace and dignity in the process. Our ordinary days should be marked by a love of God despite whatever situation we find ourselves. When we allowing the love of God to pour out of every aspect of our lives, we allow our ordinary lives to display the extraordinary glory of God as the impossible works through us.
For more in this series, check out Just An Ordinary Day
